14 March 2020

Elegant French provincial-style home six minutes from arty Braidwood

| Lisa Herbert
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A lovely verandah and walled courtyard create prime entertainment space. Photos: Supplied

A lovely verandah and walled courtyard create prime entertainment space. Photos: Supplied.

Consider this two-storey home a piece of Provence in Jembaicumbene, halfway between our capital and the coast.

Offered for auction on 18 April, 419 Majors Creek Road, Braidwood is an elegant 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom property that will seduce you with its simple style. It is being offered by listing agents Luton Properties.

This magnificent property is located only six minutes from historic Braidwood and set in 6 acres of elegant gardens and lawns, surrounded by rich, undulating grazing country.

Every corner has its beauty. Photo: Supplied

Every corner has its beauty.

Once a gold-mining town, Braidwood has been transformed into a cultural hotspot and is now considered a chic destination that retains more than a hint of its nineteenth-century history.

It’s increasingly attracting city people wanting a tree-change while bringing along their creativity and a desire to contribute to the community.

The courtyard connects garage and workshop to the house

The courtyard connects the garage and workshop to the house.

Built in 2006 as a prestigious Bed & Breakfast, this home would suit just that, or a buyer looking for that very special family home and garden.

Heading into their late 70s, Heny and Leigh Fletcher are looking for a smaller property. For many years they have been enhancing the sprawling gardens with their creativity, and preferences – Heny for colourful flowering plants and shrubs, and Leigh with his love of trees.

The property boasts an impressive granite entry and retaining walls, 100-year-old pine trees, a perimeter of poplars and Japanese quince, and a silver birch-lined driveway leading to the roomy, light-filled home.

Lounge room

The light-filled rooms have underfloor heating and room to move.

The house features an elegant central lounge room flowing out onto the north-facing tiered garden.

Floors are a mix of hardwood boards and stone tiles. With underfloor heating the home retains heat well in Winter.

A second living room

A second living room with fireplace could be converted into a fourth bedroom.

Although listed as a three-bedroom home, the formal dining room with open fire “could easily be converted into a fourth bedroom”, according to Heny, “or a room for teenagers to call their own”.

A cook's kitchen

A cook’s kitchen with sunny eating area for birdwatching while baking.

The lovely gourmet kitchen boasts a 900 mm Falcon oven and north-facing breakfast area which opens out to a walled courtyard entertainment area with fountain.

“One thing that makes this place so delicious is the amazing birdlife. We sit in the sunny kitchen and watch them in the birdbath,” says Heny. Leigh agrees that the kitchen is definitely a favourite, sunny spot.

The downstairs bedroom with doors to the garden

The beautiful downstairs bedroom with doors to the garden.

There are three enormous bedrooms with ample space for seating or office areas, and each with a bright, clean ensuite bathroom.

The downstairs ‘master’ bedroom features floorboards, external doors and a bathroom with a deep bath.

The bedrooms are enormous

The bedrooms are enormous and each comes with an ensuite.

This home sits on 2.57Ha (6.35 acres) with well-planned rolling vistas, hedges, established pines and many garden beds.

Heny has been busy adding to the garden’s floral palette, while Leigh has been planting groups of trees including dogwood, ginkgo, olive, Japanese maple, katsura, davidia, nyssa, willow, various cedar and oaks, among others.

There is also a stand of ancient pines that would have surrounded the original house site.

Bathroom

Many of artist Heny’s creative touches are found around the house and garden.

Featured in the well-known Braidwood Open Gardens and included in the Australian National Trust Open House scheme, the garden boasts many stone cairns and a bright red bridge that crosses the seasonal creek.

One of Heny’s latest projects is what she calls her “jewel box”, a square garden planted among the old foundations of an original schoolhouse.

The north facing kitchen

The north-facing kitchen and sunroom are a favourite spot in this stunning home.

There is a 10 kW solar system with mains power. One of the defining features of the garden is “the ring”, a semi-circle planting of low-lying shrubs that surrounds the property’s 120 solar panels, which provide the property with all power needs.

Other features include a double auto garage and single barn style lock up garage or workshop space.

A delightful courtyard with crabapples, planted for Spring and Autumn colour.

A delightful courtyard with crabapples, planted for Spring and Autumn colour.

The garden’s extensive trees and gardens have been maintained through droughts due to a 36 metre licensed bore to 15 taps and drippers around the gardens, plus a 100,000-litre in-ground cement tank which Leigh says “always has water”.

Even though surrounded by rural properties, there is good sealed road access, excellent mobile reception, landline and internet via ADSL or fixed WIFI NBN is also a possibility. The local school bus stops at the front gate.

Solar panels provide all the property's power needs. Photo: Supplied

Solar panels provide all the property’s power needs.

“We have loved living here, and the community is wonderful,” says Heny. “We have made many friends, and Braidwood is very appealing. But we are getting older and need to move on.”

This home will be auctioned onsite at 419 Majors Creek Road, Braidwood at 3:00 pm on 18 April unless sold prior. Price guide: $1.2 million.

To arrange a private inspection, contact Braidwood’s premium agent Kelly Allen on 0466 632 696, contact LUTON Properties Braidwood, or view the hottest new property listings on Zango.

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